Last Updated on 3 weeks ago by Charbel Coorey

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kick off their IPL 2026 title defence against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. After clinching their maiden IPL title in 2025, RCB enters the new season with a strong core of retained players, smart auction additions, and some intriguing selection dilemmas.

Here is the predicted XII and a deep dive into the four major selection dilemmas.

RCB possible playing 11 for IPL 2026 (assuming Romario Shepherd is available):

1. Phil Salt (OS)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Devdutt Padikkal
4. Rajat Patidar
5. Tim David (OS)
6. Jitesh Sharma
7. Romario Shepherd (OS)
8. Krunal Pandya
9. Mangesh Yadav
10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
11. Jacob Duffy (OS)
12. Suyash Sharma

Key Selection Debates

Phil Salt vs. Jacob Bethell

Salt endured a poor T20 World Cup campaign, scoring just 130 runs across eight innings, crossing 30 or more only twice. Bethell, on the other hand, scored 280 runs in as many innings, with four 30+ scores, including a century against India in the semi-final.

However, this still shouldn’t really be a debate. Salt has been one of the world’s best T20 batters since 2022, scoring over 5,500 runs at a strike rate of 157.02. Last season, he scored 403 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 175.98. In fact, among openers with at least 1000 IPL runs, no one has a higher strike rate than Phil Salt’s 176.81. Very few players can take the game away in the Powerplay and maximise field restrictions the way Phil Salt does, and he should be the preferred pick.

Devdutt Padikkal vs. Venkatesh Iyer

RCB went as high as INR 23.50 crore for Venkatesh Iyer before KKR landed the winning bid last time. They’ve now brought him in for less than a third of that price (INR 7 crore), which clearly shows how highly they rate him.

Compared to Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh is probably the more robust player, especially against pace, and arguably has a higher ceiling.

However, form is on Padikkal’s side, and it’s hard to ignore what he did last season — scoring 247 runs at a strike rate of 150.6, playing impactful knocks at No. 3. His domestic run has been phenomenal as well: 543 runs at 54.3 in the Ranji Trophy, 725 runs at 90.63 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and 309 runs at a strike rate of 167.03 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Venkatesh, on the other hand, had significantly weaker tournaments, especially the SMAT, where he scored just 211 runs across 10 innings at a strike rate of 119.21.

Dropping Padikkal after such consistency would be harsh, so he edges it for the No. 3 spot.

Mangesh Yadav vs Yash Dayal

Yash Dayal hasn’t played any cricket since last season’s IPL and has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with even his participation in the squad uncertain.

Purely from a cricketing standpoint, though, he was bowling key overs for RCB and is a smart, thinking bowler. He can swing the new ball both ways, has a back-of-the-hand slower one, and can also bowl yorkers at the death.

However, having played no cricket in a year, RCB might start with Mangesh Yadav, the Player of the Tournament in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League 2025, where he took 14 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 8. He can also contribute with the bat, adding depth to the lineup.

He was bought by RCB for INR 5.2 crore and is highly rated by the team. He can bowl at 140 kph, move the new ball around, and execute yorkers at the death. In the MP T20 League, he made a strong impression as a yorker specialist. He can also operate on a back-of-a-length and has developed useful slower variations.

The other option is Rasikh Salam, but it’s unlikely RCB go that route given the management’s preference for having a left-armer in the XI.

Jacob Duffy vs. Nuwan Thushara (until Hazlewood joins)

Duffy hasn’t had a great year with the ball so far, taking just nine wickets in 10 T20Is and going at 10.77 an over. However, it’s important to note that all those games were played on Indian roads, where pacers collectively went at 10.36.

The pitch at Chinnaswamy for RCB’s first two games — before Hazlewood arrives — could be different, given the ground hasn’t hosted a game in a while. Much like last season, there could be that tennis-ball bounce from the 6-8 metre length that troubled batters. Duffy is better suited to exploit those conditions compared to Thushara and is a more like-for-like replacement for Hazlewood.

Moreover, it’s not as if Thushara has been in great form either. He hasn’t played since 7 January, when he went for 0/31 in 2 overs against Pakistan. He also comes with limitations — primarily being effective in the Powerplay and showing a clear drop-off against right-handed batters.

Nuwan Thushara in T20Is:

If Romario Shepherd is Unavailable

The lineup shifts slightly for balance:

1. Phil Salt (OS)
2. Virat Kohli
3. Devdutt Padikkal
4. Rajat Patidar
5. Jacob Bethell (OS)
6. Tim David (OS)
7. Jitesh Sharma
8. Krunal Pandya
9. Mangesh Yadav
10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
11. Jacob Duffy (OS)
12. Suyash Sharma

If Romario Shepherd doesn’t join the squad in time, RCB are likely to tweak their combination slightly by bringing in an extra middle-order batter in Jacob Bethell. Not to forget, he can also chip in with some left-arm spin if needed, so the depth of the XII isn’t compromised.

Blending last year’s title-winning core with exciting new additions, RCB are poised for another compelling campaign. The opener against SRH brings an added layer of intrigue: their relentless batting lineup, capable of game-altering onslaughts, meets a Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch revived after months away from competitive play.